Love at the first sight - Cruising for adults ("stolen") - Finally you get the goody normally only kids get somewhere - That is all I love Holland America Line for. And it might sound stupid: You can experience a wonderful cruise on a small ship like RYNDAM too.

Unfortunately not every morning "Walk a Mile" under a trainer was offered. The alternative was stretching. So I walked then by myself. What I loved with the promenade deck: you could walk around and you could see the sea. I smelled the sea and felt the wind. My thoughts: I should do something for me became I wanted to do something for me. And this great infrastructure on board of this ship supported me. Even 15 minutes was nothing. But 15 minutes was more than nothing. And on previous cruises those 15 minutes did not exist. Then I would hang around with my PC and blogged. But now I enjoyed my new life. Bruno liked it here on the promenade too and was also present. I did not walk fast enough for him but that did not matter: I set my speed and rhythm according to the music on my iPhone. My yesterday's "Fan-Club" were just assembling to cheer me again. For 15 minutes I was their champion again: A priceless feeling which let me rising up.

To be happy you need some caviar on blinis and champagne for breakfast. But you cannot get it here and you did not pay for. Who watched too much Love Boat and thought it would work like this here on board booked the wrong ship. You cannot get HAL for the prices of MSC's or Costa's Med Sea winter season (except very short-notice as last-minute-offers). The difference you could see with the breakfast buffet. Actually I hated breakfast buffet: but every thing was available to make me happy: Vitamin Water and Congee (= Chineses rice porridge like breakfast with your Mum!). As we were "pre-alerted" we waited until everyone was down on the gangway and we had the Lido Café just for ourselves. I was on search for lactose free milk. Currently none was available. Joseph offered me as option some almond milk and promised to get someone to get some from the storage. I stopped him and just took the almoned milk and which I liked meanwhile. I asked for the favour to get one additional box which I could take to the coffee bar for a lactose-free cappucino (it did not taste good: cappucino made of soy milk!). He only said that he would take care of it and there would be no reason to wait. I saw how he grabbed the next maître and addressed my request to him. It did not happen very often that someone with Holland America will send you from pillar to post. Usually the person you spoke with and told him your personal problem took responsibility for the guest - no matter which function or which tier. And this policy worked better with Holland America than any other company which I knew so far. There was only one problem they could not solve obviously (but on any ship): a boiled egg which is too hot. As long as we had only problems like that we had a wonderful life. Would I have told Don or Norbert aobuth this problem: they would have organised us a personal egg-peeler or sent someone to the engine room to get some asbestos gloves for us. But we helped ourselves and we had Sigi with us who burned her fingers for Bruno.

As the many many small details attracted our attention with Holland America we would like to give some attention to those whom we normally would never see: like those who were working in the laundry: A "Happy New Year" costs nothing but maybe the person who would sort our laundry would appreciate our words. We were happy to have so much mail: reservation confirmation, information of time change and the request if everything was fine. Well a hook was missing with the door to make sliding easier but I did not report as it did not impact the safety. There was nothing else I could complain. I needed to feel very bad - nothing to complain. Now I felt so bad! Only for a good order's sake we need to ask regarding the invitation for the Mariner's Brunch if were allowed to take Sigi as HAL-newbie with us. On WESTERDAM we had an endless discussion and here on EURODAM no problem. There was anyway the option to register before set sail as Mariner Society. So the less good memories from then on WESTERDAM became weaker and weaker and the standard here on EURODAM, ZAANDAM and RYNDAM became more the standard of my memories. My Douglas-Ward-Guide was signed and back.

Next to us CARNIVAL FANTASY docked. In the slide-show you find the pictures of all day including later the day which were taken from ashore and when she set sail.

Über mich / About me

lebt in einer glücklichen Partnerschaft... pendelt zuviel... einerseits zwischen seinem Arbeits- und Wohnort. Ansonsten auch mittlerweile zuviel in der Weltgeschichte.
lives in a happy partnership... commutes too much... between his home and his work... but also around the world.